Doing Life Together

Defeat to Victory! A Spiritual Lesson

I watched the women’s gymnastics last night and saw the incredible smiles on the faces of those five girls who had a spectacular night. But just a few nights prior, I saw the agony of defeat on the face of one of the competitors, Jordyn. The camera zoomed in as she faced huge disappointment and the death of the dream to compete for overall gold. It was heart wrenching to watch. All her work dashed by a few problematic routines.

Her response, “I was pretty disappointed, but I had to put it together mentally, especially for this team. A team gold medal was also officially a goal of mine, and I had to pull myself together and move on and be stronger mentally for the team.”

And she did.

The lesson–one moment your hopes are dashed, your dreams elusive and the next, gold! It was all about her attitude. Would she allow disappointment to get the best of her or pull herself together for the team?

So many times in life we face this same challenge. We can allow disappointment to drag us down and even paralyze us. We often fail to realize we are in a spiritual fight, one that depends on how we respond to the disappointment. Grieving a loss is normal, but we have to be careful not to get stuck in that grief and allow it to overtake us. When we trust God in the difficulty, victory is often around the corner.

So when you feel defeated, cry out to God. He fights for you and is strong when you feel weak. He defeated darkness on the cross.

Like an Olympian champion, God places you on that platform and declares you gold! Hie strength is perfect when ours is weak. Praise Him for His strength and being on His team. Put your confidence in Him when disappointment hits because you are always a part of the winning team!

Geat thoughts, and a great lesson for us all. Jesus in the greatest moment of defeat in His life … when the father turned his back on Him on the cross, the moment he was “made sin for us” and was a “man of sorrows” endured that moment for Himself, because ealier He had noted, “For the joy set before Him He endured the cross” … He took it for all humanity, to provide the team of humans a way back to God. All our experinences in life should be held in this framework. Super blog!

Previous Posts

10 Ways to Resist Sex Outside of MarriageSean Lowe, made famous by the reality television shows The Bachelorette and The Bachelor, was known as the Virgin Bachelor. But Lowe makes no apologies for his desire to wait until marriage to have sex with the woman he wanted to marry.
Recently, he spoke at Liberty University's convocation

A Therapeutic Way to Deal With Heartache or TragedyHe sat in my office and told me his father died suddenly of a heart attack. There was no warning and he and his mom were heartbroken.
She was crying as she talked about her 20 year marriage coming to an end. Her husband words, "I don't love you and want out," hit hard.
He never saw it comi

Take the Quiz: Do You Love Money Too Much?Money, money, money...The OJays sang about it, reminding us us what people will do for the love of money-steal from their mother, rob from their brother, lie, cheat and don't care who they hurt or beat, etc.
In Matthew, Jesus tells us that you can't love money and God. He chided the religious le

A School Success Measure More Important Than IntelligenceThese days, parents seemed consumed with their children getting high test scores. The belief is that high test scores predicts academic success. But a new study suggests that parents should put their efforts elsewhere--in developing the personalities of their children.
With more concern about wh

One Way to Facilitate the Feeling of LoveRosie is a little anxious about her first date with Sean. We all know how important first impressions are when it comes to finding love.
After a few outings at a local coffee shop, her feelings of attraction were obvious. The setting was intimate, soft music played in the background and th